Dennis Quaid
| Dennis Quaid | |
|---|---|
 Quaid in 1991 |
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| Born | Dennis William Quaid April 9, 1954 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse | P. J. Soles (1978–1983, divorced) Meg Ryan (1991–2001, divorced) Kimberly Buffington (2004–present) |
Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He became known during the 1980s after appearing in several successful films.
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Early life
Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Juanita Bonniedale "Nita" (née Jordan) Quaid, a real estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid, an electrician.[1] He is the younger brother of actor Randy Quaid. Quaid has Irish and Cajun (French) ancestry.[2] He attended Pershing Middle School in Houston. He studied Chinese and dance at Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas, and later in college, at the University of Houston, under drama coach Cecil Pickett.
Career
After his brother, Randy, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Last Detail (1973), Quaid dropped out of the University of Houston before graduating and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career of his own.[2] He initially had trouble finding work but began to gain notice when he appeared in Breaking Away (1979) and earned good reviews for his role in The Right Stuff (1983).[2]
Known for his grin,[3] Quaid has appeared in both comedic and dramatic roles.[2] Quaid had starring roles in the films Enemy Mine (1985) and Innerspace (1987). He also achieved acclaim for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire! (1989).[2]
Quaid's career lost steam in the early 1990s, after he fought anorexia and kicked a cocaine addiction.[2] He continued to garner positive reviews in a variety of films, however, such as Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp (1994).[2] He starred in the remake of The Parent Trap (1998), playing the part of the twins' father, and as an aging pro football quarterback in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday (1999). Some of Quaid's more recent film credits include Far From Heaven (2002), The Flight of the Phoenix (2004), In Good Company (2004), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Yours, Mine and Ours (2005), Vantage Point (2008), G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), and Pandorum (2009).
He portrayed U.S. President Bill Clinton, alongside Michael Sheen as Tony Blair and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton, in the 2010 film The Special Relationship.
Awards
For his role in Far From Heaven (2002) he won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. He received nominations for Best Supporting Actor from the Golden Globe Awards, the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Personal life
Quaid was raised in the Baptist faith and is currently a practicing Christian.[4][5]
There have been extensive stories about Quaid's past abuse of the narcotic, cocaine. In a candid 2002 interview with Larry King on his talk show, after King asked about his motives for using drugs, Quaid responded, "Well, you got to put it in context. Back in the late '60s, early '70s. That was back during the time where, you know, drugs were going to expand our minds and everybody was experimenting and everything. We were really getting high, we didn't know it. And cocaine at that time was considered harmless. You know. I remember magazine articles in "People" Magazine of doctors saying, it is not addicting. It is just -- alcohol is worse. So I think we all fell into that. But that's not the way it was.
When asked if he believed her had ever been addicted to the drug, he responded, "It was a gradual thing. But it got to the point where I couldn't have any fun unless I had it. Which is a bad place to be." Later in the interview he said, "But I saw myself being dead in about five years if I didn't stop."[6]
Quaid and actress P.J. Soles were married on November 25, 1978. The couple were divorced on January 23, 1983. On February 14, 1991, he and Meg Ryan were married. Quaid and Ryan have a son, Jack Henry (born April 24, 1992). They were divorced on June 16, 2001.
Quaid married Kimberly Buffington, an Austin, Texas, real-estate agent, on July 4, 2004. The couple had twins, born via a gestational carrier, on November 8, 2007, in Santa Monica, California. Their son Thomas Boone was born first at 8:26 a.m. and weighed six pounds, twelve ounces (3.06 kg). Daughter Zoe Grace was born two minutes later weighing five pounds, nine ounces (2.52 kg).[7]
On November 18, 2007, hospital staff mistakenly gave Quaid's ten-day-old twins a dosage of heparin 1,000 times the common dosage for infants.[8][9] Their attorney said the newborns will "be fine now", but Quaid filed a lawsuit against the drug manufacturer, Baxter Healthcare, claiming that packaging for the two doses of heparin are not different enough.[10] In May 2008, the Quaids testified before the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, asking U.S. Congress not to preempt the right to sue drug manufacturers for negligence under state law.[11]
In a 2008 interview with Insight, Quaid's second ex-wife Meg Ryan insinuated that there was adultery in their marriage on both ends. "Dennis was not faithful to me for a very long time, and that was very painful. I found out more about that after I was divorced." Quaid responded with, "It was eight years ago, and I find it unbelievable that Meg continues publicly to rehash and rewrite the story of our relationship. 'Also, I find it regrettable that our son, Jack, has to be reminded in a public way of the turmoil and pain that every child feels in a divorce. 'I, myself, moved on years ago and am fortunate to have a happy, beautiful family."[12]
In addition to acting, Quaid is a musician and plays with his band, the Sharks. Quaid also has a pilot's license and is a scratch golfer. In 2005, he was named as the top golfer among the "Hollywood set" by Golf Digest. He lends his name to the annual "Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend" (formerly the "Jiffy Lube/Dennis Quaid Charity Classic") in Austin. The golf tournament attracts numerous celebrities with the proceeds split among local children's charities. He is a member of the Bel-Air Country Club in Bel-Air, California, and tries to stay at homes on private courses when he is on the road.
Quaid works with the charity, International Hospital for Children in New Orleans, Louisiana. He makes trips to Central America to help build medical clinics and transport sick children back to the U.S. for treatment they cannot get locally.
After the filming of "The Express: The Ernie Davis Story" Quaid went to Cleveland Browns Stadium to dedicate Davis's jersey.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Crazy Mama | Bellhop | (uncredited) |
| 1977 | I Never Promised You a Rose Garden | Shark, Baseball Pitcher | |
| 1977 | September 30, 1955 | Frank | |
| 1978 | Our Winning Season | Paul Morelli | |
| 1978 | The Seniors | Alan | |
| 1979 | Breaking Away | Mike | |
| 1980 | The Long Riders | Ed Miller | |
| 1980 | Gorp | Mad Grossman | |
| 1981 | All Night Long | Freddie Dupler | |
| 1981 | Caveman | Lar | |
| 1981 | The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia | Travis Child | |
| 1981 | Stripes | Extra at Graduation Ceremony | (uncredited) |
| 1983 | Tough Enough | Art Long | |
| 1983 | Jaws 3-D | Michael 'Mike' Brody | |
| 1983 | The Right Stuff | Gordon Cooper | |
| 1984 | Dreamscape | Alex Gardner | |
| 1985 | Enemy Mine | Willis Davidge | |
| 1987 | The Big Easy | Det. Remy McSwain | Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male Valladolid International Film Festival Award for Best Actor |
| 1987 | Innerspace | Lt. Tuck Pendleton | |
| 1987 | Suspect | Eddie Sanger | |
| 1988 | D.O.A. | Dexter Cornell | |
| 1988 | Everybody's All-American | Gavin Grey | |
| 1989 | Great Balls of Fire! | Jerry Lee Lewis | |
| 1990 | Come See The Paradise | Jack McGurn | |
| 1990 | Postcards from the Edge | Jack Faulkner | |
| 1993 | Wilder Napalm | Wallace Foudroyant/Biff the Clown | |
| 1993 | Undercover Blues | Jefferson 'Jeff' Blue | |
| 1993 | Flesh and Bone | Arlis Sweeney | |
| 1994 | A Century of Cinema | Himself | (documentary) |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Doc Holliday | |
| 1995 | Something to Talk About | Eddie Bichon | |
| 1996 | Dragonheart | Bowen | |
| 1997 | Gang Related | Joe Doe/William | |
| 1997 | Switchback | Frank LaCrosse | |
| 1998 | Savior | Joshua Rose/Guy | |
| 1998 | The Parent Trap | Nick Parker | |
| 1998 | Playing by Heart | Hugh | |
| 1999 | Any Given Sunday | Jack 'Cap' Rooney | |
| 2000 | Frequency | Frank Sullivan | Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor – Suspense Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 2000 | Traffic | Arnie Metzger | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 2001 | Dinner with Friends | Gabe | |
| 2002 | The Rookie | Jimmy Morris | |
| 2002 | Far from Heaven | Frank Whitaker | Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 2003 | Cold Creek Manor | Cooper Tilson | |
| 2004 | The Alamo | Sam Houston | |
| 2004 | The Day After Tomorrow | Jack Hall | |
| 2004 | In Good Company | Dan | |
| 2004 | Flight of the Phoenix | Frank Towns | |
| 2005 | Yours, Mine and Ours | Frank Beardsley | |
| 2006 | American Dreamz | President Joseph Staton | |
| 2007 | Battle for Terra | Roven | (voice) |
| 2008 | Vantage Point | Thomas Barnes | |
| 2008 | Smart People | Lawrence Wetherhold | |
| 2008 | The Express | Ben Schwartzwalder | |
| 2009 | Horsemen | Aidan Breslin | |
| 2009 | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | General Hawk | |
| 2009 | Pandorum | Payton | |
| 2010 | Legion | Bob Hanson | |
| 2010 | The Special Relationship | Bill Clinton | released May 29,2010 on HBO Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie |
| 2011 | Soul Surfer | Tom Hamilton | (Filming) |
References
- ↑ "Dennis Quaid Biography (1954–)". FilmReference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/22/Dennis-Quaid.html. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Stated in interview at Inside the Actors Studio.
- ↑ Lyman, Rick (2002-11-14). "Dennis Quaid's Second Reel: The Comeback". NYTimes.com (New York: New York Times). ISSN 0362-4331. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E1DB1F31F937A25752C1A9649C8B63. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ↑ 'It's All God': Interview with Dennis Quaid.
- ↑ Mr. Versatile 'Christianity Today' By Peter T. Chattaway – 2005-11-22
- ↑ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0203/12/lkl.00.html
- ↑ Dennis & Kimberly Quaid Welcome a Boy & Girl – Babies, Dennis Quaid : People.com
- ↑ FoxNews.com, Dennis Quaid's Newborn Twins Fighting for Life, 2007-11-20.
- ↑ "Dennis Quaid's newborns reportedly harmed by medical mix-up". Ratevin.com. http://ratevin.com/story.php?title=Dennis_Quaids_newborns_reportedly_harmed_by_medical_mix-up. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ↑ Dennis Quaid and wife sue drug maker.
- ↑ Quaid, Dennis; Quaid, Kimberly (2008-05-14). "Testimony of Dennis Quaid and Kimberly Quaid Before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the United States House of Representatives" (PDF). pp. 1–7. Archived from the original on Wed, 14 May 2008 14:32:04 GMT. http://www.reform.democrats.house.gov/documents/20080514103204.pdf. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1060717/Dennis-Quaid-hits-ex-wife-Meg-Ryan-claims-cheated-HER-marriage.html
Further reading
- Silver, Murray, 2005. When Elvis Meets the Dalai Lama, (Bonaventure Books, Savannah), in which the author describes Quaid's participation in the film Great Balls of Fire.